Friday, February 27, 2015

When I was told we were moving to Vietnam I went into full Google search mode. Who, what, where, when, how...lay it on me. I searched out other expat bloggers living in Ho Chi Minh City, sent my list of questions and waited patiently. One person answered and I was grateful to her for taking the time. It was a start.

Monday, February 23, 2015

My son Patrick is getting married to a lovely Australian girl, Cherie, next month and we are all so excited. The wedding will be in the Yarra Valley, an Australian wine region near Melbourne, Victoria. Cherie has organised the wedding and I know it will be beautiful.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

My father was a fanatical 'birder', the kind of person who felt you could never have enough bird feeders or bird baths. We had a bunch…hanging off trees, off the house, attached to windows, sitting on rocks, standing on poles and if he could have, he would have stood outside, arms stretched, embracing a bird feeder and balancing a bird bath on his head, just for the sheer delight of it all. He wanted to make the birds happy…and he did.

Friday, February 20, 2015

I am sharing the love today for fellow writers and photographers who live in my neck of the woods. By woods, I mean the ones in New Hampshire. For those of you who may not be aware, 'Tahilla Farm' is located in the woods of New Hampshire, a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is a state I am learning to love, not only for the land but for the community and spirit of the creative souls in the region.

I'd like to share the love for a two local writers and photographers today as I have a feeling, if you do not know them already, you will enjoy discovering them.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Sometimes you have to step backward before you can step forward. It has been that kind of feeling this week. It's decision time and it can be overwhelming. I find myself going back in time, to where it all started, to my thoughts and feelings…what I was hoping to create when we first bought Tahilla Farm.

Friday, February 13, 2015

It is inevitable that at some point in a long flight, you will check with the flight channel to see how many hours you have travelled and how many hours you have left to go. Your hope is that you will have fallen asleep for a few hours, awaken and see that you have only two hours to go. Perfect score for a 14+ hour flight.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

We were in Kyoto, Japan last month visiting Kiyomizu-dera Temple, a magnificent Buddhist temple registered on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list and one of the "must see" Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.

Sunday, February 8, 2015

That's a simple question, isn't it? There was a time when I would have given anything to answer that question. In fact, I am pretty sure I was asked that question once and the answer was an explicit..."keep it just as it is". For you see, once upon a time, our house in Vietnam looked like this. Until... I moved to Vietnam with the kids, in the summer of 2012.

Friday, February 6, 2015

When we raise our kids we give them all sorts of advice to get on in the world. When it comes to making friends, it starts early. As soon as a child first grasps the concept of sharing with another...and does it successfully, without tears, we have set the foundation of our building blocks. Playing nicely in a sandbox is a big achievement.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Life has been rolling merrily along...from Tahilla to Vietnam. Mr. H and I were in Hanoi last weekend where I happened to be in the right spot at the right time. I caught this charming cyclist coming down the street long before she happened upon me. I stood, patiently, with my camera at the ready.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Many of you have kindly asked about the latest developments at Tahilla Farm...which I often refer to as Tahilla. I am more than happy to respond and hope you are ready for what follows. For those of you who are new to my blog, Tahilla, is our home away from home, a country retreat, deep in the woods of New Hampshire.

Monday, February 2, 2015

When I told Mr. H that I wanted to get back to being a morning person again...he laughed and replied "You have never been a morning person!". I could argue that point, for back in the day, when I was shuffling kids off to school, my day started early and I seemed to get so much more accomplished.